There are how many pairs of cranial nerves in human?
- (a)8
- (b)12
- (c)25
- (d)31
Correct — B, 12. Humans have 12 pairs of cranial nerves, which arise from the brain and brainstem (e.g. the optic, olfactory, vagus and facial nerves). This is distinct from the 31 pairs of spinal nerves.
- (a)8 — There are 12, not 8, pairs of cranial nerves.
- (c)25 — 25 does not correspond to either cranial (12) or spinal (31) nerve pairs.
- (d)31 — 31 is the number of pairs of spinal nerves, not cranial nerves.
The peripheral nervous system includes 12 pairs of cranial nerves (from the brain) and 31 pairs of spinal nerves (from the spinal cord). Cranial nerves carry sensory, motor or mixed functions for the head and neck (and, via the vagus, the viscera).
Keep the two counts apart: cranial = 12 pairs, spinal = 31 pairs. The optic and olfactory are purely sensory; the vagus is the longest.
- Humans have 12 pairs of cranial nerves.
- They emerge from the brain/brainstem.
- 31 pairs of spinal nerves arise from the spinal cord.
- The vagus (X) is the longest cranial nerve.
- Confusing the 12 cranial with the 31 spinal nerve pairs
- Assuming all cranial nerves are mixed
Direct fact recall — 12 pairs of cranial nerves.
No directly related past PYQ was found.
- practice — not a real PYQ
How many pairs of spinal nerves are there in humans?
- (a)31
- (b)12
- (c)24
- (d)33
Answer(a) 31 pairs.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which is the longest cranial nerve in the human body?
- (a)Vagus nerve
- (b)Optic nerve
- (c)Facial nerve
- (d)Trigeminal nerve
Answer(a) The vagus nerve.